On Corners and Muggles
by Roslin Fan
Summary: Laura reflects on her ten years of marriage and the changes she's experienced since they landed on Earth. Modern Earth!AU. This is a remix written for the 2013 BSG remix at livejournal.


*Ten Years Later*

Laura sat on the sofa in their suite. It was different from the one in their home. Not as soft but flowery-an ornate design she and Bill disliked. It would be perfect for Ellen, though.

They'd been in New York a few days, but she was getting homesick. Not that she wasn't enjoying her visit with Lee, Emma, and the girls. Laura was thrilled with her new roles of step-mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother.

Lee became a fine man and a loving husband and father. Emma was endlessly patient with her husband and his family in terms of their pasts and learning curves. When they needed her to explain Earth customs, she did so with a smile. In the beginning, Laura and Lee had an easier time adjusting than Bill. Perhaps it was a trait of politicians to be more flexible and fluid. But Bill caught up to them eventually, and they each function fairly well on their new home planet. Most people forget they're aliens these days.

As well adjusted as they were, the discovery that Earth books have corners was still shocking to Laura and her husband. When she and Bill share a joint and pick up a book, sometimes they "forget" about the corners until they see them again. The result is equal parts upsetting and hilarious. Bill's reactions give her the urge to giggle, which war with her feelings on the corners. But Bill's face and hand motions are just so...funny. Maybe it's because they aren't on the run for their lives anymore, but her big grumpy Admiral just isn't that intimidating, and he makes her laugh most of the time. After she giggles for a few moments, Bill inevitably joins in, and they laugh together until their sides hurt. Then they hold each other and enjoy the book. This had become a ritual for them in their ten years of marriage.

Even with the corners, the Earth books are pretty good. They didn't have "The Searider Falcon," but they have "Robinson Crusoe," which is similar in some ways. During their first year on Earth, Laura took a liking to Shakespeare, and she became immersed in Earth history, focusing on the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I was no joke. Laura bet they could share some "airlock stories," as Bill called them (for which she rewarded him with a Presidential eye roll). Plus, there were a lot of great mysteries. There were the hard boiled ones featuring Marlowe, and there were softer ones. Each had their merit. Laura liked the Agatha Christie books because her detectives were intelligent, sophisticated, and polite. Who doesn't like Miss Marple? Bill didn't like to admit it, but he enjoyed those too.

How wonderful it was to land on a planet with such rich history and culture, and so different among the various continents and countries! She'd always mourn the lost lives and cultures of the Twelve Colonies, but having the ability to spend her retirement immersed in Earth culture dulled a lot of the ache. She'd be forever grateful for Earth medicine for saving her life-and keeping her husband healthy.

The doctors diagnosed his hypertension in the middle of her extended hospital stay. She'd been in there for her treatments, and Bill started feeling faint. The hospital staff placed him on the bed on the other side of the room, and he was her roommate for a few days. They said it was a miracle he didn't have a heart attack "up there." The scariest part was learning how close she could have been to losing him.

Of course, they offset their anxieties by taking turns reading to each other. Together they finished "The Searider Falcon." It was as good as Laura remembered: She didn't recollect the exact ending, but she knew she'd cried. It was the first time she'd been so affected by a book. When she reached the end with Bill, they both cried, as he held her hand and cradled the book to his heart with his other hand.

"_Are you disappointed?" she asked._

"_No. It was perfect. Even better than I could have imagined." He squeezed her hand tighter. "I'm glad we did this."_

_She hummed her agreement and snuggled against her pillow._

Once Bill was properly medicated, his condition improved within days. Laura still insisted the doctors check up on him when they were finished with her each day. The Earth doctors were smart enough to follow her commands without question. Perhaps being the President of a dying civilization had a few perks. All she cared about was making sure Bill was healthy. If she were going to live, (which it seemed likely she would) she didn't know what the point would be if Bill died on her.

Thinking of those days made her want to see her husband and hug him. Since they married in a quiet ceremony in Vancouver General Hospital, they were rarely apart for longer than a few hours. He was just so much fun to be around. She didn't just love him; she liked him, and she knew he felt the same way about her. She wanted him on the sofa with her-not this sofa, though, but the one in their house.

The one they'd brought down from his quarters on _Galactica_ had finally given out with age not long after they moved into their new home. They gave it a proper military funeral and picked out a new one.

It had been years since Laura'd been in a furniture store-and never with a partner. The choices were...overwhelming. How many shades of brown were there?

"_What do you think?" Bill asked._

_Way to pass the buck. "I don't know. There's so many."_

"_It's been a long time since I've been in a store like this."_

_Probably since before he'd taken command on _Galactica._ She nodded. "Me too."_

_He took her arm. "It's nice though. No crisis."_

"_No kids interrupting us."_

_Just then, they heard a loud screech followed by sobs and an older voice yelling. They looked at each other and laughed. "You know what I mean," Laura said._

_Bill smiled. "Let's pick out our new couch. I have big plans for it."_

_She had a good idea what those plans were and increased her stride length._

In the end, they'd gotten a couch that could have been the twin of the one they lost. Laura smiled thinking of how they'd christened it. They waited several weeks after her final surgery, (at the doctor's gentle prodding) so when they finished furnishing their home, they had a marathon session that started on the couch.

As the best parts of the memory were heating up, Bill walked into the suite with a huff and a doorslam. "That was the strangest hour of my life," he said as he slumped down on the sofa beside her. His knees cracking loudly. She'd probably drag him in to get them replaced soon.

She shook her head. Her hopes for the night shattered, it seemed. She considered what he said. It seemed a little melodramatic that that was the strangest time of his life. How was that even possible? He survived two Cylon wars, learned his best friend was a Cylon. And lived on Earth for ten years. Plus, the books had corners. Surely, nothing was stranger than that. She turned to her husband. "I thought you were just tucking them into bed?"

Laura chose to walk back to their hotel a bit early. The sound of "Grandpa Bill" reading to their grandchildren filled her with a sadness she couldn't understand. Not that she wasn't happy: She adored those little girls and watching Bill read to them. It was...she wished she'd found him sooner.

She'd never thought much about motherhood. It was always something that would happen "one day." That day never came. She was never with the "right" man, or she hadn't advanced far enough in her career. Then she was in politics and didn't want to raise a child in that environment. Then she didn't want to have the President's baby.

By the time she boarded the _Galactica_, her "time" had passed, and with her impending death and the attacks on the Colonies, Laura counted it as a blessing that she'd never had the chance. But seeing Bill Adama with his son and all the other "children," she realized what it would be like to have a family.

Watching Bill with those two little girls, Laura felt tears forming, and she didn't want to spoil their moment. She told her husband she didn't want to interfere with the nighttime ritual, and she walked back to their suite.

"They're reading the strangest book," Bill said. His face convinced her it was true, or at least that he thought it was.

"You mean it had corners?" She made a mock shocked face. That would never cease to be amusing, and she needed that at the moment.

He shook his head. "No. It was worse. The book had all these words I didn't understand. Like 'snogging.' And they called me a 'muggle.'"

He was adorable in his grumpy and confused look. She giggled.

"What?"

"You're cute."

"Should I be concerned about this?"

"About what?" She'd already forgotten. "Oh, that book." She racked her brain for a moment. Her time reading all things British told her what 'snogging' meant. "'Snogging' is British slang for 'making out.' It sounds like they were reading a British book."

"Leave it to 'Grandpa Tom' to give them a strange book."

"Oh, come on, Bill. He's not so bad. If I can get over my mistrust of him, you can."

"I just don't understand why he gets to be their other Grandpa."

"He's been very supportive of Lee's career, and he introduced him to Emma." She paused. "And he loves those little girls as much as we do." She didn't add that he saw them at least once a week, while she and Bill saw them just a few times a year.

Bill put up his hands. He hated that Laura had become somewhat chummy with Tom, but they really did have a lot in common-once they got over his terroristic past. Bill's jealousy was cute too but completely unfounded, and once he realized that, it disappeared. He still made it clear he would never be friends with the man.

"We could always move here. Spend more time with them." She knew he wouldn't go for it, but it was one solution.

He shook his head. "I hate this frakkin' city. I like our house and our farm."

"Oh, yeah, our _farm_."

He reached for her hand. "Besides, we'd just end up missing Dee and Charles."

Laura nodded. She loved how close she'd gotten to Dee since they came to Earth. She'd always been fond of the former communications officer, but after what happened with Billy...it had been a bit strained between them. Then her marriage to Lee was a disaster, and Laura felt bad about it, but she knew they weren't right for each other.

She remembered her first meeting with Dee on Earth. They had their first real conversation. Laura was touched by the loyalty Dee had felt for her.

"_I left him after what he did to you."_

"_You mean-"_

"_Yeah, the witness stand. I couldn't live with a man who would do that to someone he loved." _

_Laura hugged her. "I'm sorry."_

"_Me too. About Billy..."_

_Laura let go of Dee to look at her. "That wasn't your fault."_

"_No?"_

_Laura shook her head. "As much as I wanted you both to be happy, I never thought you were quite a good fit."_

"_I broke his heart."_

"_Maybe, but you didn't kill him. And sometimes those lessons are necessary."_

They sat in silence for a moment as they considered what Billy's life would have been like had he lived. Then Dee led Laura into her Charlie's room. The father wasn't in the picture. Dee explained he was one of the 'fish she should have thrown back.' Laura nodded her understanding. Whatever had happened, little Charlie was adorable, and Laura fell for him instantly.

She and Bill babysat Charlie often. Now the boy was eight, and he was already growing to be a fine young man. He also inspired Laura to get back into teaching although she had to go to college again because her transcripts and credentials were lost in the attacks. Plus, she needed the fundamental understanding of Earth culture, which she enjoyed learning anyway.

Two years after they'd arrived on Earth, Laura enrolled in Vancouver Island University. She excelled in her classes, and Bill enjoyed studying with her (they had some creative games when she was preparing for midterms and finals).

She'd gotten a teaching job in the area primary school, and loved spending her day with kindergartners again. Bill visited often too, and the children loved him: He was their jungle gym, but he never seemed to mind.

She smiled at her husband. "You're right. We have so many things at home."

"Like our couch."

She nodded. "I was just thinking that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This one's the pits."

"It's something Ellen would love."

She hugged him.

"Hey! What's that for?"

"I just love you."

"Well, I know that."

She smirked. "You also have a way of saying what I was thinking."

"I don't know why there was ever a time we didn't get along."

She held him tighter. "Now, what are we gonna do about this 'muggle' thing?"

He shrugged. "I asked Lee about it; he didn't seem concerned. But I'm taking them to the zoo tomorrow. Zarek doesn't get to be the only cool grandfather." He smirked at her. "Will you join me on this mission, Madame President?"

She nodded. Aside from the field trips she'd chaperoned over the years, she hadn't been to the zoo since she was a girl. She used to walk between her mother and father, holding both of their hands. They'd lift her up to see anything that was too high for her. The lions had always been her favorite. Beautiful and fierce.

Edward called her a lioness. He always said she'd take the worlds by storm. She never knew what he meant by that, but she liked that he compared her to her favorite animal.

She smiled. "I'll be there, Admiral, but just so you know, I like to spend a lot of time with the big cats."

He kissed her forehead. "I expect nothing less from you. Now let's go shave and go to bed."

After they married, Bill started including Laura in his nightly shaving ritual. She liked watching him with the straight razor sliding across his skin, up and down. She could always read his mood when he shaved. There was definitely an angry shave, which thankfully didn't occur much. There was also the distressed shave, which she witnessed when they first learned the books had corners. Usually, it was just a smooth, quiet shave that they both enjoyed after a long day-or in the morning, or the afternoon. She never questioned why her husband liked to shave so much and so often. Why question a good thing?

She'd spread the shaving cream on his skin, and he worked the razor. After he rinsed the cream, she was always ready with the towel.

"Remember the first time we did this?"

Bill nodded.

"You were so angry."

"We worked through it nicely, if I remember correctly."

"After you threatened to blow up the planet with your son."

"You know I was never gonna do that." He turned to her. "I liked when you shoved me against the bulkhead. You'd never been that..."

"Angry?"

"Passionate."

His face had remnants of shaving cream. She'd consider licking it off, but she knew from experience the taste wasn't worth it.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

Did he know? Maybe they weren't referring to the same 'it.' She smirked. "I don't know. What do you think I'm thinking about?"

"That time against the bulkhead."

Oh, that. "Not quite, Adama." She gestured to his face. "Why don't you wash that stuff off, and I'll show you what I'm thinking about."

The understanding in his eyes was clear. He turned back to the sink and rinsed off. She could see from the mirror it was a close shave. She had the towel ready.

When he turned to take it, she wrapped it around him and pulled him toward her. "Hi," she said.

"I love the way you say hello."

She released the towel, letting it drop to the floor, and kissed him. The wall wouldn't work: Neither of their knees could handle it, and his back would probably give out. She pulled away, retrieving the towel she'd dropped. "Don't get any ideas, Admiral," she said from the floor.

"They're not just ideas, Madame President."

That was true, but she had other ideas for them. She picked up the towel and stood up, wiping his mouth and face with it.

"You didn't do this the first time."

"No."

They'd come so far since then. She'd felt so out of place in his head, following him there to get her story out, but once she'd finished, she realized where she was. The intimacy of it.

"I wish you had."

"Yeah? What would you have done?"

He stilled her hands in his, taking the towel and placing it on the sink. He held her close and kissed her. It wasn't the anger and passion they would have shared before. It was love and joy. She smiled against his mouth. He released her. "That."

She laughed. "I don't think it would have been like that."

He chuckled. "You're right. This is better, though."

"Let's go to bed, Admiral."

She sashayed out of the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom. The couch was nothing to write home about, but the bed...they liked the bed. It wasn't as nice as their one at home, but it had a nice give to it. They hadn't tested it much-exhausted from travel and visiting. But they'd remedy that tonight. "Coming?"

"I will be."

She rolled her eyes. How had she ended up with such a smartass?

"I heard that," he said.

"What?"

"You think I don't know the eye roll?" He grinned. "I guess that joke's a little stale."

She lay on the bed. "Make it up to me, Admiral."

He climbed in beside her. "With pleasure, Ma'am."

And he did.

.

.

.

She lay against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm.

"I know why you left," he said.

She lifted her head to face him. "I didn't know you were awake."

"Thinking." He smiled. "About us." He reached for her face. He had the same love in his eyes that he had during their first kiss. "I wish for those things too."

She didn't ask what he meant. They were the same things she wished: a chance to have known each other sooner, children. She leaned down and kissed him.

"But then I remember we do have children, Laura." He wrapped his hands around her hair, running his fingers through it. He loved the shade of red it was now, but the shocking thing was he loved the stubborn greys even more. "I think we met when we were ready to, and I wouldn't change a thing." He paused. "About us, I mean."

She kissed him again. "Sometimes, Adama, you say all the right things. You don't talk much, but when you do..."

She wouldn't trade anything for what she had now. She lowered her head back down to his chest. "Go to sleep, Adama. Those grandchildren of ours will run us ragged tomorrow."

He chuckled. "I'm more concerned about you, Madame President. My lioness."

Of all the things to call her. "My father used to call me that."

He nodded. "Makes sense. It's the perfect name for you."

"You never used it before."

"I guess I was calling you other things instead." He stroked her hair. "It was one of my earliest thoughts of you when you became President. 'There's a lioness stalking her prey.'"

"Who was the prey?"

"Me, I thought." He chuckled. "I guess I was right, just not in the way I expected."

She rubbed his arms. Such strong arms even now, especially when they were holding her. "I love you."

"Goodnight, my lioness."


End file.
